Holding the Courtship Down in the Poem

Holding the Courtship Down

In the poem "Holding the Courtship Drum," poet Ron Welburn tells the narrative of a male who is presenting himself to the female population for the purpose of potential mating. In the piece, the narrator compares the movements of the male human being to that of an animal or a bird. Even though the human being is considered a member of a higher species, the male still acts like an animal when it comes to the opposite sex. The way the poet writes, it can be understood that the man is either trying to attract a woman or if she has already been attracted and they are preparing to have a sexual encounter.

Courting in the context of this poem can be either the more romantic type wherein the male and female are preparing to engage in romantic discussion, or it can be the more physical type such as a sexual act. He compares the man to an animal, such as in the first line of the poem where he compares man's actions with those of a ruffled grouse (Welburn 1). The grouse is a burn known for its rather intricate mating dance. The male grouse will strut about at dawn and dusk trying to attract multiple mates. The grouse, besides exhibiting his multicolored plumage, may walk about and make noises. They do anything within their power to attract a multitude of females who will mate with them and produce offspring. So too male humans "fan and strut into display / with your chest poked out" (Welburn 5-6). The writer makes it clear that man, though more advanced philosophically, is still an animal.

From here, the narrator tries to describe what he believes are the truths about the opposite sex. Once the man has discovered the woman that he wants, the narrator says that there is a good likelihood that she will pretend that she doesn't see the man. She will pretend that she is uninterested in the male who is trying so very hard to get her to notice him. Part of the reason for this, the narrator suggests, is that the female of the species gets distracted very easily. If anything in the world gets her attention outside of the male, then she will not want to engage in activity with the man. "Her heart will sink into her belly / until you compose yourself again" (Welburn 18-19). The man in this poem is the one who is in total control. This is a main point for the narrator in this peace.